Sonatype Blog

Security Research Labels Over 290,000 Google Play Andoid Apps As 'High-risk'

Network World – (International) Security research labels over 290,000 Google Play Android apps as ‘high-risk’. One-quarter of more than 400,000 Android applications examined in the Google Play store pose security risks to mobile-device users, according to new research. Security vendor Bit9 categorized these Android apps as questionable or suspicious because they could gain access to personal information to collect GPS data, phone calls or phone numbers, and much more after the user granted permission to the app. You have to say 'yes‘ to the application or it won‘t run, pointed out Bit9‘s CTO. Games, entertainment, and wallpaper apps especially seem to want to grab data, even though their functions would seem to have little direct use for it. Bit9 notes this does not mean these apps are malware per se, but they could do damage if compromised because the user has granted so much permission.